With all the changes to the world of work that we have recently experienced and are continuing to experience, our webinar programme this year is focused on the future of work and in particular the hot topics HR teams are having to handle now in order to future proof their organisations. Our latest seminar focused on recruitment and retention ...
As the Czech government signed off on the EU “Green Deal”, which aims to cut carbon dioxide emissions to zero by 2050, the Czech Republic needs to find ways to achieve this goal, or at least to get close to it ...
I’ve had a number of queries recently about agricultural tenancies where a partnership is the tenant rather than an individual. This can often give rise to problems and I thought that it would be worthwhile spending some time looking at some of the issues that can arise and how they might be resolved. First of all, in Scots law, a partnership is a separate legal person in its own right quite distinct from the individual partners in the partnership ...
The Scottish courts recently refused assistance under the UNCITRAL Model Law on Cross-Border Insolvency when a request for a stay on actions in Scotland was made by a Foreign Representative appointed under a Singapore moratorium procedure. Dr Hamish Patrick, Partner in Shepherd and Wedderburn's banking and finance team, has recently published an article on this case in International Corporate Rescue ...
The Norwegian Data Protection Authority has notified Stortinget of an infringement fine of two million kroner and imposed an infringement fine of four million kroner on Østre Toten municipality. In both cases, the Authority emphasizes that it is a clear management responsibility to secure the business against such attacks, and that two-factor authentication, awareness-raising and an appropriate risk and vulnerability analysis are key measures ...
When the family team at Shoosmiths is instructed to advise on international child abduction we are very much aware that the parent left behind is often living a real-life nightmare. The situation usually involves our client’s child(ren) having been abducted by the other parent and being retained in a foreign country, or there being a serious risk that the other parent is about to abduct the child(ren) from this country to somewhere overseas ...
The UK Government has put forward for approval by Parliament a new safeguard mechanism for international transfers, known as the International Data Transfer Agreement (IDTA), that will impact organisations transferring personal data out of the UK. If approved, the IDTA will apply from 21 March 2022, and we would encourage affected organisations to review their data transfer processes now ...
The much-anticipated levelling up white paper has finally been published, including 12 legally binding ‘missions’ to improve health, living standards, transport, crime and wellbeing by the end of the decade. When it comes to the devolution of powers to help to realise these outcomes, rather than marking a radical departure from earlier policy, the white paper advocates a continuation of the devolution process in England ...
On 13 January 2022 UK and India launched negotiations for a free trade agreement. Intended to provide net benefits to businesses, not all will benefit from the agreement. This article identifies some topics that business may wish to raise with government ...
The phrase ‘national security’ is at the heart of but not defined in the National Security and Investment (NSI) Act 2021. There are some insights from related legislation and other sources, but the absence of definition means there is legal and consequently business uncertainty. From 4 January 2022 when the NSI Act 2021 came into full effect, the meaning of national security became crucial to M&A activity concerning the UK ...
Regulation (EU) 536/2014 of the Parliament and of the Council of 16 April 2014 on clinical trials on medicinal products for human use (“Regulation”) came into force on 31 January 2022. The Regulation was adopted by the European Parliament in 2014 and released in May of the same year. It was subsequently officially published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 31 July 2021 and came into force six months after that date ...
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is seeking views on potential approaches to precautionary allergen labelling for prepacked and non-prepacked foods. This consultation follows new rules that came into force in relation to allergen labelling on prepacked for direct sale foods last year (see our article about Natasha’s Law here) and will consider how precautionary allergen labelling can be communicated more clearly and consistently to consumers ...
In this article we look at the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the social and health care sector in the build up to the upcoming Public Inquiry, due to commence in Spring 2022. Upsetting scenes arising from the COVID-19 pandemic included photographs of bereaved families with only six people in attendance at family funerals ...
This newsletter features a look into notable recent Finnish competition and regulatory case law.Recent developments in Finnish merger control: A more hardline approach to divestiture commitments The Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority's (FCCA) merger control team had a busy year ...
After the highlights of the Environment Act 2021 and COP26 in 2021, what does this year hold for environmental law and policy? Here are our top five predictions. 1. The Office for Environmental Protection gets down to work The Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) is a new independent body, established by the Environment Act 2021 (EA 2021), tasked with holding public bodies to account for the environment ...
The implications of Biodiversity Net Gain & Nutrient neutrality on planning applications ...
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) are seeking to improve the operational resilience of the UK financial sector. This applies to many organisations, including: banks building societies, PRA-designated investment firms and insurers. The new rules and guidance will come into force on 31 March 2022. By then, firms must have identified any vulnerabilities in their operational resilience ...
For many years, the question of whether there should be more openness in the family courts has been a live issue. But previous proposals calling for increased transparency, including the initial government proposal of 2006 to allow the media to report on family cases, have been unsuccessful. In May 2019, President of the Family Division, Sir Andrew McFarlane, launched a review into transparency in the family courts and the report outlining his findings was published on 29 October 2021 ...
Notice 11/2021 of 2 December (the “Notice”) was approved by Banco Nacional de Angola (“BNA”) todefine the procedures for carrying out foreign investment operations and repatriation of capital byforeign exchange non-residents, in relation to (a) companies without shares admitted to trading onregulated markets (b) securities and derivative instruments and (c) divestment operations ...
In a statement to Parliament on 14 December 2021, John Swinney, the Deputy First Minister, confirmed the appointment of Court of Session judge Lady Poole as the chair of the Scottish inquiry into the COVID-19 pandemic. The Scottish Government also announced the terms of reference for the public inquiry on the same date, with the inquiry investigating the period between 1 January 2020 and 31 December 2022. You can read the full ministerial statement here ...
When disputes arise between family members, there is often much more at stake than money. Common grounds for family disputes We regularly deal with disputes between family members in relation to Wills, Powers of Attorney, and the administration of the estates of deceased individuals. Often these include challenges to the validity and terms of a Will, either because it is alleged that the signature has been forged or that undue pressure was placed on a person to change the terms of a Will ...
After the growth and successes of the tech industry in 2021, James Klein, head of the technology sector at Shoosmiths shares his thoughts on emerging trends and a few areas where we may see developments in 2022. Data Data continues to be a key strategic asset, whether it is in connection with data storage, transfer, protection, processing, security, or capacity issues. Predictive analysis of data is likely to be more pertinent than ever this year ...
From 6 April 2022, the way right to work checks are conducted is changing. Virtual or “adjusted” right to work checks will no longer be acceptable Virtual checks were only ever intended as a temporary concession because of the pandemic. While they have been repeatedly extended throughout the pandemic, the Home Office is adamant that they will end once and for all, with 5 April 2022 being the final date on which they can be validly conducted ...
Due to emergence of the Omicrom variant, the new year brought with it some now familiar guidance: the government asked workers to avoid the office and to work from home where possible. In anticipation of returning to the office in early 2022, the Health and Safety Executive (the HSE) and the Scottish Government have issued guidance emphasising the importance of good ventilation and the role that plays,alongside other measures, in helping to reduce the spread of COVID-19 ...
COVID-19 guidance continues to change regularly throughout the UK and the Omicron variant has seen soaring levels of absence across all businesses. So what do employers need to know and how can this be managed? Current isolation and testing rules At this time and throughout the UK generally, non-exempt individuals are required to self-isolate if they are in close contact with someone who has tested positive ...
